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one Stop
Copper Basin
finds new life
The area is currently undergoing
a revitalization effort, and seeing an
influx of new stores and restaurants
as a result. A group of locals and
investors, for example, recently pressure
washed the bridge, and plans
to install more than two dozen park
benches around town.
Other improvements include new
streetlights, landscaping, and copper
mining artifacts and signage to share
the area’s history with visitors. A 4-
acre park with exercise equipment,
walking paths and pavilions is also
planned for the area.
Riverwalk Shops
Small businesses are doing their
part to draw tourists and locals back
to the area. Meanwhile, the old mall
was completely renovated and
turned into the new Riverwalk Shops.
Designed to capture the spirit of
Copper Basin’s mining history, the
individual stores were built within
multiple conjoined structures, some
dating back to the city’s earliest years.
Reconstruction of the building stretching
a full city block began in 2016.
Inside the Riverwalk Shops you’ll
find three riverfront restaurants and
12 indoor boutique retail stores —
offering plenty of possibilities to eat
and shop, whether you come via
train or car.
continued on next page
Area Fast Facts
→ McCaysville population = 996;
Copperhill population = 511.
→ McCaysville, Copperhill & Ducktown
are known collectively as the
Copper Basin.
→ Copperhill & Ducktown were settled
around 1843 when copper was discovered
in the area. It was mined
until the late 1980s.
→ Open smelting, timber harvesting
and the release of harmful gases
severely denuded the hills around
Copperhill. In 1939, the TVA and the
Tennessee Copper Company began
a long-term reforesting project to
help restore the area.
→ The Toccoa River flows north from
Blue Ridge to McCaysville. When it
crosses into Tennesse, it becomes
the Ocoee River, known for challenging
whitewater rafting rapids.
→ The Ocoee Whitewater Center off
Hwy. 64 was the site of the 1996
Olympic Summer Games Canoe &
Kayak Slalom competition.
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